Separator-sieve.



P'ATENTED DEC. 17, 1907.

i W. 0. BLACK. SEPARATOR SIEVE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 15,1906.

WI'TNESSES. 7 flzwf I WILLIAM 0. BLACK, OF PLYMOUTH, OHIO.

SE PARATOR-SIE VE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 17, 1907.

Application filed November 15. 1906. Serial No. 343,497.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. BLACK, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Plymouth, in the county of Richland and State of Ohio,have invented a certain new and useful Improved Separator-Sieve; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference markedthereon, which-form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to separator sieves of the class employed moreparticularly in threshing-machines or the like in which the grain issubjected to a blast of air whereby to separate the light particles ofchaff and dust therefrom, and is an improvement over the constructionembodied in my United States Letters Patent No. 803,977, dated Nov. 7,1905. l

The primary object of my invention is to simplify, cheapen andstrengthen the construction of sieves of the class described by makingthe, windguides separate from the sieve proper and mounting them beneaththe same for adjustment relative to the mesh or openings thereof,whereby to serve as the necessary braces or supports for such sieve, andalso facilitate rather than retard or diverge the blast from the sieveopenings, as has been the tendency with the sieves of this classheretofore used.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a sieve of thecharacter described which has the operating mechanism for thewind-guides entirely disposed beneath the sieve frame, thus enabling theplacing of two or more sieves end to end, as is sometimes desirable, andobviating the obstruction to the free passage of tailings over thesieve, which is incident to the positioning of the operating crank-shaftat the end of the shaft over the tail-spout of the separator.

Further objects and advantages as well as the operation, constructionand arrangement of the parts of the invention, will be apparent byreference to the following description and the accompanying drawings, inWhich,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the sieve embodying my invention with aportion of the mesh or perforated sheet broken away and the Wind-guidesshown as adjusted to partially close the openings. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal section taken on the dotted line :0 a: in Fig. 1, and Fig.3 is a similar section taken on the dotted line y y in Fig. 1, with thewind.- guides shown as adjusted to substantially close the openings inthe sieve.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a sieve frame, which may be ofany suitable size or construction, and 2 the perforated. plate orseparating element thereof, which is secured to the top surface of theframe and is provided with a multiplicity of mesh or'openings 3 throughwhich the air current and grain pass in opposite directions. Theseopenings are arranged to aline transversely of the sieve and to form aplurality of sets, which are spaced a distance apart longitudinally ofthe sieve approximately equal to the length of the openings for thepurpose of accommodating the shutters or mesh regulat ing members 4, asshown. These shutters constitute transverse slats or strips, which havethe edges thereof contiguous to the openings 3 across which they areadapted to operate formed with dependent or downwardly extending wings5, which are intended to form wind-guides against which the air blast onthe lower side of the sieve strikes and is directed thereby upwardlythrough the openings. The inclination of these wings may be varied, butis preferably about fortyiive degrees. These Wings extend entirelyacross the sieve so that each forms an unbroken wind-guide for aplurality of alining sieve openings to intercept a larger amount of airthan is the case where a separate tongue or wing is employed for eachmesh or opening. In addition to acting as windguides the shutters 4 alsoserve as truss or supporting members for the separating element 2, theconstruction thereof and their position relative to such elementadmirably adapting them for such purpose, thus enabling the usual trussor supporting members to be eliminated so that the sieve is not onlylightened quite materially but also cheapened. The several shutters 4with their dependent wings 5 are retained in sliding contact with theunder surface of the perforated plate 2 and in rigid relation to eachother by one or more bars 6, which are disposed longitudinally of thesieve in sliding contact with the upper surface thereof and have theshutters fixedly secured thereto by rivets or other suitable securingmeans 7, which pass through elongated slots 8 in the sieve plate 2 topermit the shutters and their carrier-bars to have a limitedreciprocatory movement relative thereto. The shutter strips or slats arepreferably extended at the ends slightly beyond the terminals of thewings 5 thereof to adapt them to operate within gained portions 9 of theframe sides, as shown.

Each shutter-carrier-bar 6 has connection with an arm 10 of a rock-shaft11 through the medium of a connecting-rod 12, which is disposed underthe sieve longitudinally thereof and is attached as at 13 to theassociated carrier-bar. The rock-shaft 11 is mounted transversely of thesieve below and at one end thereof and has one end projecting beyond theside of the sieve and shaped to receive a turning-crank 14, which isintended to be secured thereon without the casing or wall of theseparator or machine with which it is associated. It is thus apparentthat a proper adjustment of the shutters 4 relative to the openings 3 ofthe sieve, whereby to change the size of such openings to suit the kindand condition of grain operated on, may be easily and quickly effected,without necessitating a stopping of the machine, by simply turning thecrank 14 in the proper direction and to the proper degree, therebyoccasioning a simultaneous adjustment of all the shutters and theirattached wind guides. It is also apparent that the mounting of therock-shaft and connecting-rods or pitmen in this manner does notnecessitate the customary and deleterious notching or cutting-away ofportions of the sieve frame to form a passage-way for such rods orpitmen, thereby making a much lighter and stronger sieve than thoseheretofore employed, as the notching of the frame necessarily weakensit.

With this construction of sieve the air blast, which is derived from anysuitable source, is intercepted by the inclined surfaces of thewind-guides of the shutters and directed thereby upwardly through themesh or openings 3 of the sieve so as to separate the chaff and dustfrom the grain and per mit the latter as it passes over the sievesurface to fall through said mesh or openings in a cleaned state, whilethe separated chafl and dust is carried off through other channels.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to theexact details of construction shown and described, for obviousmodifications will occur to one skilled in the art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is, r

1. A sieve, comprising a frame, a separator sheet secured to the top ofthe frame, a plurality of parallel strips slidable 011 the upper surfaceof the separator sheet, a series of parallel bars slidingly held incontact with the under side of the separator sheet and attached to thestrips transversely thereof whereby to move therewith, said bars havingtheir ends slidingly supported by the frame and serving as truss membersfor supporting the separator sheet and also having depending wings eachforming unbroken wind guides for a plurality of alining sieve mesh, andmechanism for moving the strips to effeet a movement of the bars toadjust the size of the associated mesh.

2. A screen or sieve comprising a suitably supported plate having amultiplicity of openings cut therein, longitudinally movable bars incontact with the upper surface of said plate, a plurality of metalstrips in sliding contact with the under side of said plate and havingfixed connection with said bars through slots in the plate whereby amove ment of the bars effects a lateral movement of said strips acrossthe openings in the plate, said strips forming supporting truss for theplate and eachhaving a wing projecting downwardly from one side thereoffor substantially its entire length, a rock-shaft asso ciated with thesieve and carrying arms, and rods connecting the bars and rock-shaftarms to adapt an oscillation of the shaft to effect a movement of theshutters whereby to change the mesh of the sieve.

3. A sieve having a plurality of shutters adjustably carried at theunder side thereof to permit a variance of the size of the mesh, saidshutters being supported by the sieve frame and each having a dependentwing provided on one side thereof and serving both as a wind-guide for aplurality of mesh and as a truss for the sieve.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to thisspecification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WVILLIAM C. BLACK.

Witnesses:

O. W. OWEN, HAZEL B. HIETT.

